Author to Her Book by Anne Bradstreet

Name: Morgan Reid

Subject Area: American Literature
Grade Level: Junior (Grade 11)
Date: 18 September 2014

Lesson Summary Description.
After finishing the unit on Native Americans, we will begin a unit about Puritan and
Colonial writings. We will focus on figurative language, supporting strong textual evidence,
and argumentative writing.

Standard(s)
RL 9: Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and early-twentieth-century
foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same
period treat similar themes or topics.
RI 1: Cite Strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including how they interact and build
on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL6: Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is directly
stated in a text from what is really meant (i.e., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement)

Objective(s)
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify figurative language in a puritan poem.

Timeframe
90 minutes

Materials Needed
Pretests
New Colonial LAPs
White Board/markers
Journals (if time remains)
iPads/ smart phones

English III- American Literature
Detailed Procedural Steps
Begin the class with a pretest. Figurative Language pretest.docx (10)
Take pretest, share with group.
Star the examples you knew.
Write on board.
Hyperbole: extreme exaggeration to emphasize a point (can be ridiculous
or funny)
You snore louder than a freight train
Metaphor: statement that does not make sense literally; only makes sense
when the similarities between the two things become apparent.
the world is my oyster, time is money
Personification: Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects,
animals, or ideas.
Opportunity knocked on the door, the radio stopped singing and
stared at me, sun played hide and seek with the grass below.
Point-of-View: the angle of considering things, which shows the opinion
or feelings of the individual involved in the situation.
First person (I, we)
Second person (you)
Third person (he, she, it, they)
Simile: comparison using like or as
Busy as a bee, they fought like cats and dogs
Verbal Irony: when the speaker says one thing but means another.
Sarcasm: meant to be mean.
That chair is really comfortable- not meant to hurt the chairs
feelings- verbal irony.
Nice shoes- bullying attempt to make someone feel bad is
sarcasm.
Situational Irony: when something unexpected happens. The opposite of
what is expected
Dentist has cavity. Fire station burns down
Dramatic Irony: the audience knows what the characters do not.
Romeo and Julliet. Snow White- poison apple (SW doesnt know,
audience/which does)
Understatement: intentional use to make a situation seem less important
than it really is.
Hitler was kind of a bad guy. The conflict in the middle east is a
little tense.
Web Quest (30)****
In the LAPs (p1) students will complete a web quest and the answers they find as a
group, will share out with a partner at a different table.
Background knowledge that will help us understand the readings (that are not easy to
understand).
o Each group will have 5-6 questions to gather information on. After groups have
finished, they will find an opposite partner and discuss/share their answers.
English III- American Literature
o Each student should have all the answers on their sheet.
Quick Review for the class:
o Randomly ask students to share their answers.
Thumbs up/down in approval/agreement

Turn to Anne Bradstreets The Author to Her Book (30)****
Read aloud once. Assign each group a stanza.
o Read the stanza aloud with your group.
o Take each line and make it accessible. In your own words.
o Summarize stanza assigned line by line.
One person from the group will read the stanza they examined to the class.
o Then will share their paraphrased stanza aloud with the class.
Read once more to class- explaining stanza as we go.
Individually, students will convey what they believe is the central theme of the poem in
their packets.
Once finished, as a class, we will find one example of figurative language together.
In partners, students will find the rest of the personification and metaphors.

**If time remains, students will compose their own To Her Book poems using
something they hold dear to themselves (phone, car, headphones, etc)
o They will use imagery, metaphors, similes, and personification to bring their item
to life by writing to it.

**** For the ELL class we will conduct groups differently. The groups for the web quest will be
made randomly in order to mix the ELL students with the fluent ones so all students can get the
information (sorted by height, birthday? And divided this way). The groups for the poem will
require original seating because the ELL students are grouped together so instruction can be
pointed and focused to help bridge the language gaps they need.

Student Assessment(s)
The pretest is to gauge the level of knowledge or recall the students have in regards to the
figurative language terms. This assessment will not be graded, but will be used for a reference
point.

Reflection

1. What were the strengths of the lesson?

Having students write out the answers as we discussed helped to keep them on task, rather than
collecting the pre-tests and they listened and discussed the review. The webquest went well. For
groups that were a little behind, I had all the 1-5s get together to discuss answers and the 6-11s
do the same before they found an opposite partner.
English III- American Literature
When we came back together as a class, I called on a student to share their answer- the class
gave thumbs up or down to signify their approval of the task. When all of the students already
had the answers we spent less time writing and could move through the information more
quickly because they already knew it and had discussed it in small groups.

Ending with the poem becomes tricky depending on how much time is left in the period.

2. What improvements would you make before you taught it again?

I would like to spend less time on the review of figurative language and more time with the
poem, so finding the right amount of time to devote to the beginning activity is crucial. But the
students are reviewing and re-learning this information so it should not be breezed over.


3. Student response, surprises, interesting notes, etc.
When the adjustments were made to better serve the students: recording the figurative
language (on the pretest), making the student groups accountable for more questions, and
then finding an opposite partner, the information was better received. The activity took
longer because the students were responsible for looking up more of the information in
their groups, but I felt the students had a better understanding of the time period and a
solid foundation of background knowledge was gained.
















English III- American Literature

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by
Jonathan Edwards

Name: Morgan Reid
Subject Area: American Literature
Grade Level: Junior (Grade 11)
Date: 22-23 September 2014

Lesson Summary Description
In our Puritan/Colonial unit, we have been analyzing works for figurative language and theme.
We have already reviewed the elements of figurative language and analyzed a poem, An Author
to Her Book, by Anne Bradstreet. After reading this puritan sermon, we will examine two short
stories together as a class and the students will have one story to read on their own (in class).
They will use these stories to compare theme and they have a formal writing concerning the
comparison of major themes.

Standard(s)
RL 9: Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and early-twentieth-century
foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same
period treat similar themes or topics.

RI 1: Cite Strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including how they interact and build
on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.

W1: Write an argument to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence

Objective(s)
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to complete a 1 page essay analyzing the writing
style and tools used by Edwards in his sermon.

Timeframe
90 minutes

English III- American Literature

Materials Needed
Elmo
Books with excerpt from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards (for each
student)
LAPs
Journals
Computer paper
Sticky notes


Detailed Procedural Steps
Most classes did not finish the poem. We paraphrased our stanzas and did not share them with
the class.
Begin class by finishing, The Author to Her Book by Anne Bradstreet.
Share paraphrased stanzas with class.
o How many think this is about a sick child? Before and after gauge.
This is not really about a child.
Go through each stanza
o Read then explain, one by one.
#2) Theme: Universal truth that can be proven by numerous texts.
o Words like: motherhood, love, friendship- while it has been acceptable is no
longer appropriate.
o Ex: Adolescence is the loss of innocence. Those who succeed work diligently.
Greed compromises moral values.

#3) Complete the chart. We will find one as a class. You cannot use this one on your
sheet.
Give 3 minutes on own to complete. 5 with the group to discuss.

***Get Red Textbooks*** Grab book and go back to seat (1 minute) Get the wiggles out.
Turn to page 106.
Read the background on Jonathan Edwards.
Before we start to read, lets take a look at what will be expected from us.
o Refer to packet.
Introduce logic, emotion, credibility. What are tactics he uses to convince his audience.

o What phrases are used to appeal to logic?
o Logos (Logical) means persuading by the use of reasoning. This will be the most
important technique we will study, and Aristotle's favorite. We'll look at deductive and
inductive reasoning, and discuss what makes an effective, persuasive reason to back up
English III- American Literature
your claims. Giving reasons is the heart of argumentation, and cannot be emphasized
enough. We'll study the types of support you can use to substantiate your thesis, and look
at some of the common logical fallacies, in order to avoid them in your writing.

o What phrases or sentences are used to stir or evoke emotions?
o (Emotional) means persuading by appealing to the reader's emotions. We can look at
texts ranging from classic essays to contemporary advertisements to see how pathos,
emotional appeals, are used to persuade. Language choice affects the audience's
emotional response, and emotional appeal can effectively be used to enhance an
argument.

o What does Edwards say or what do we know about him that makes him a credible
speaker?
o Ethos (Credibility), or ethical appeal, means convincing by the character of the author.
We tend to believe people whom we respect. One of the central problems of
argumentation is to project an impression to the reader that you are someone worth
listening to, in other words making yourself as author into an authority on the subject of
the paper, as well as someone who is likable and worthy of respect.

Read from page 108 to middle of 109.
o Check for understanding
o What is going on?
o What is Edwards trying to communicate with his audience?
o Any figurative language so far? (talk with partners)
Continue reading from middle of 109 to top of 110.
o Check for understanding.
o What is Edwards comparing to the wrath of God?
o How does he emphasize this to the audience?
Finish the rest in groups (each person reads a paragraph)
Once finished, the students will complete the chart of figurative language on their own.

Gallery Walk
They will choose one example from their chart and create a visual representation of the
imagery. (Draw a picture)
This will be completed on a separate sheet of computer paper and the students will have
to color it as well.
The quote will be written on the back of the picture.
Each student will hang their picture up in the hallway and have 3 sticky notes with them.
o The sticky notes will be used to write the quote the students interpret from
looking at the picture.
o Each picture will be numbered, to correspond with student answers.
Did the image demonstrate the figurative language accurately?
Back to Reading
English III- American Literature
Students will fill out the chart that corresponds to the logic, emotions, and credibility to
Edwards sermon.

A formal writing will be started (and if time allows) completed at the end of the time
period. Standard W1.

Student Assessment(s)

Students will be asked to complete a formative writing in the journals after reading and
discussing Edwards sermon. The three questions to be considered are as follows:
1. Consider the images utilized by Edwards throughout the sermon. What are the prominent
themes communicated by the images and analogies that Edwards employs?
2. What is the purpose of the sermon? How are people meant to respond? How does this
piece translate today? How might it have been received in 1741?
3. What are Edwards sources of authority or credibility? How does he elicit a response
from his listeners?
They will complete this writing in class to prepare for the CFAs at the end of the unit.